The days surrounding the autumnal equinox have always evoked a sense of awe in me which is mostly created by an unusual quiet as compared to the preceding summer. It’s a time when the natural world seems to be holding still, glorying in itself and the fullness of life, and heaving a big sigh of relief.
The racket of cicadas has given way to the subtle rhythm of crickets chirping as the temperature dropped from hot to warm to cool this week. Most plants have finished with their seasonal growth cycles and are slowly withdrawing energies back into their roots while lingering to enjoy the last of the warmth. Only a few perennials are still awaiting a late bloom, strikingly beautiful without the competition of summer sunlight.
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| Kirengeshoma palmata |
And then there is the sky at the autumn equinox. It imposes itself on us with extraordinary effects of light and clouds. It implores us to look at it in a way we could not in high summer. It summons us to stop working and drop everything, to just look up and be.
